School me on TV's (really confused)

[01XJ]

Me and the wife are in the market for a new TV. We know we want a 42". Now when we start to get in to the more technical junk is where i get lost and have no idea what im doing.

I have searched the net for my answers and read for hrs but as usual i get conflicting info. so to start out i have determined that a 120hz TV V.S the 60hz is much better? and thats what i want? would this be right or is a 60hz going to be just fine?

Second is the contrast ratio, I have been told to just forget about that number and not worry about it and yet i have been told not to go under 100,000.1? Now i have seen TV's in the store that were as low as 50,000.1 and the picture was awesome! and some that were up as high as 120-140.000.1 and the picture wasn't great.

Now the big thing on my mind that im having a really hard time is the 720p or 1080p? I dont do gaming but we will be using a mix of DVD and Blu-ray and i have been told using bluray you will want 1080p and i have been told you wont notice a difference between the 2 unless the TV is over 50" so on a 42" 1080 isnt worth the extra 100-400+ bucks? is this true

Now we move in to another thing...plasma's! I went and looked at a 42" plasma 720p 600hz and the and picture was AMAZING and it was hooked up to a bluray. it was playing avatar and it was flawless in my eyes. The colors were bright the whites were outstanding and the blacks were deep and dark but then i get back to the issue of it being a 720p. But even at 720p it was awesome

Then on plasmas i get told DO NOT BUY!!! they emit tons of heat,the have problems of image burning . Like when my kids watch Nick and it has the "logo" in the corner that never moves and stays in one spot, i have been told that things like that will burn in to the screen? and was also told that after 2-3yrs the picture quality really starts to die off? But then i read those issues are a thing of the past and they dont do that anymore? But some salesmen insist they do? and some say they are for dark rooms because they have horrible glare because of the glass screen

Now we get in to L.E.D TV's? pretty much only thing i have noticed between them and a LCD is the colors are a little brighter and deeper but pretty sure the extra money for a L.E.D isn't worth it? or is it?

Now is there any brands to "Stay" away from? so far i have found that i like Vizio. The options and the picture and specs really attract me to them and i have been told Vizio used to suck but they are a great TV now days. I like Sony but you pay a lot more for them. I really like samsung,LG,even Zenith.

I'm sorry for the long ranting post but this will be a TV we will have for yrs and i want to make sure when i drop 700 bucks that its going to be decent. so if any of you out there could really school me on these questions that would be great

 

[slowngreen]

Alot of people say do not buy plazmas BUT they last about as long as an lcd now days. Just dont leave paused images on them for long. Turn them off when you arent using them and you will be good. The expected life of a plasma with 6 hours a day of on time is 12 years! Thats long enough for me.

Also, check costco, see if they have any display models going for cheap. I got a 1080 54" plazma Panasonic for $700! It was $1600 to start with but it was the last one they had. Its been an insanely awesome tv. Ive seen more than 500 5 star reviews on it too with out a single less than 5 star either.

 

[BUBBA069]

as for the 120hz vs 60hz, in order to do 3D on a TV you need the 120hz. The 120hz will also show smoother motion due to the higher refresh rate.

To get the 3d with shutter glasses the video will split the into two 60hz streams and shifted left and right. The shutter glasses then cause flicker between the eyes to get the 3d effect. Cant be done with a 60hz TV, same for PC monitors.

 

[BEELZEBOB]

60hurtz is kinda lame.

it gives you a choppy display vs what a 120 or 240hz.

Id say nothing less than 120.

As far as companies to avoid, I dont really know of any notoriously horrible ones. Sony makes $80% of the screens on the market, no matter what type of TV you buy.

I work for a moving company, so i will tell you, keep the effin box, reguardless of the type you get.

LCD tv's are sick, LED are my Favorite.

Also, we move all sorts of people who like have a super sick $3K plasma, but no HD receiver or HDMI cables?


LOL so make sure your cable box id HD ready, and Marshalls, surprisingly has had HDMI cables for like $25


But you should be able to find a 42" LCD thats >or= to 120hs, and 1080p for $700

 

[easleycrawler]

Lcd and 1080p for sure."thumbsup"

 

[JeremyH]

Crt, ftw!

 

[goobs]

We have a 240hz 1080p 73" projector by mitsubishi and its effing SICK!!!
Also my sis and I have 40" lcd 1080p 140hz samsung tvs that are just as sick.

 

[XcrawlerkidX]

I have a 42" Sanyo LCD 1080p or 1080i and I got the HD cables for my xbox 360. WAY WAY better then my 52" perjection screen tv I had. But I do miss the big-ness of the 52"

 

[gottorque]

Our 42 in samsung crapped out 2 years after we bought it. Its not a random problem rather a widespread one. Samsungs are notorious for craping out prematurely because of power problems
Just read through this
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/home_electronics/samsung_tv.html

Based on the problems ive had with Samsung, i wouldn't recommend them

 

[slobin3d]

I have a 32 in the bed room and a 46 in the living room, At our altitude plasma's aren't recommended. over 5k ft. All of ours are LCD's but no LED's We have a 52 LED at the store and its nice but at a distance you really can't tell. Plasma's are nice if they're going to be somewhere dirty, you see them a lot in bars and such because the glass screen is easier to clean. WHat ever you do don't lay them flat especially a plasma or projection TV if they are stored flat at what ever place you get them keep moving"thumbsup"


If you can afford it get the Nicest tv in your size class with the highest rated features from a brand you've heard of. There's getting to be hundreds of the No name brands out there and you never know if they will be there in 6 months when you need help or warranty parts.

Also Make sure your TV is capable of firmware updates. Just did one on my Philips 46, huge improvement, all the source changing has sped up, the picture quality improved, and the TV feels cooler"thumbsup"

 

[MRCCRAWLER1.9]

I have searched the net for my answers and read for hrs but as usual i get conflicting info. so to start out i have determined that a 120hz TV V.S the 60hz is much better? and thats what i want? would this be right or is a 60hz going to be just fine?
120hz is better! 60hz is alittle slower, you will see "ghost" during fast action movies and gets alittle annoying.

Now the big thing on my mind that im having a really hard time is the 720p or 1080p? I dont do gaming but we will be using a mix of DVD and Blu-ray and i have been told using bluray you will want 1080p and i have been told you wont notice a difference between the 2 unless the TV is over 50" so on a 42" 1080 isnt worth the extra 100-400+ bucks? is this true
its worth the $100-400. there is actually a slight different, but you have to have a really good eye to catch it. the edges around an object on a HD TV look alot sharper compared to a standard TV, but i dont think it wont be too noticeable. But since technology is moving on, im seeing alot more movies going to blu-ray so IMO i think buying the HD TV will be worth it so you dont have to worry about it in the coming years.

Then on plasmas i get told DO NOT BUY!!! they emit tons of heat,the have problems of image burning . Like when my kids watch Nick and it has the "logo" in the corner that never moves and stays in one spot, i have been told that things like that will burn in to the screen? and was also told that after 2-3yrs the picture quality really starts to die off? But then i read those issues are a thing of the past and they dont do that anymore? But some salesmen insist they do? and some say they are for dark rooms because they have horrible glare because of the glass screen
it isnt as true as it used to be however, plasmas still do use gas to emit their bright colors and their deeper/richer colors, but now adays, the gas takes 5-10years to go away from what ive heard. However, there are LED TVs from like Samsung and LG. they are very comparable to the Plasmas. one thing i like about samsung is that they incorporate their AMOLED Technology, which is the ability to show true blacks. not grey blacks if youve noticed on TVs.

Now we get in to L.E.D TV's? pretty much only thing i have noticed between them and a LCD is the colors are a little brighter and deeper but pretty sure the extra money for a L.E.D isn't worth it? or is it?
LEDs are kinda worth getting, only issue is that their technology in TVs is still new. but the price is killer, but the TV life span, speed, contrast, and color depth is much better than LCD i believe.

Now is there any brands to "Stay" away from? so far i have found that i like Vizio. The options and the picture and specs really attract me to them and i have been told Vizio used to suck but they are a great TV now days. I like Sony but you pay a lot more for them. I really like samsung,LG,even Zenith.
IMO since your looking some what cheap, stay away from Sony, RVC, Vizio and Walmart brand TVs, Id highly suggets Samsung, Panasonic or LG.

 

[MRCCRAWLER1.9]

Hey man, yahoo just released a articles on TV, so go ahead and check it out. i think it will help you alot in your decision.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/509/whats-new-in-tvs/

 

[xv-townboy]

To determine the right size for your viewing area divide the distance between where you want to sit and the front of the screen by 2.5 (i.e. If you sit 7 feet (2.13 meters) from your TV choose a 32 inch HDTV).